FreeOffice was developed by software creator Softmaker in Germany, and is a good alternative to Microsoft Office. The 3 applications offered are called TextMaker, PlanMaker, and Presentations. Softmaker uses FreeOffice’s 2016 version, which makes it easy to use, and means it has good functionality. The packet requires little memory and even runs from a USB stick, which makes it easy to use on different computers. The layout is similar to that of Microsoft Office XP, which provides intuitive operation without the ribbon layout. FreeOffice is available for Linux and Windows – for Android, there is both a smartphone and a tablet version.
FreeOffice can easily open data files .doc and .docx, .xls and.xlsx, and .ppt and .pptx, as well as older Microsoft formats. However, if you plan to save .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files, you must use the paid version of SoftMaker Office. The program bundle also contains a thesaurus, a formula editor, and advanced image editing functions. A nice extra in the free package is that .epub files can be exported, which was added as a feature in the 2016 version. A huge advantage is that SoftMaker offers great manufacturer support.